HTML -- or HyperText Markup Language -- is the language of the World Wide Web. Every web page is coded using HTML.

But it isn't a programming language. Amongst other things, HTML lacks the control structures (the features that can change or halt the flow of a program) that characterise a real programming language like C or Pascal or Basic. It's a markup language. You begin with the text of what you want to say, then mark it up by inserting codes (called "tags") that will direct the viewer's browser how to display the text. Actually, direct is too strong a word, given what you'll learn soon about browsers -- maybe we should say guide.

HTML is not difficult. It isn't rocket science; in fact, the basics of HTML can be learned in a matter of days. After that, it's all about honing and refining your knowledge so that you can apply it to designing attractive and well-structured web pages -- that part takes rather longer! But that's the subject of another tutorial... this one's just about HTML.

You don't need fancy tools. Lots of people use WYSIWYG ("what-you-see-is-what-you-get") programs like Microsoft Front Page to build their web pages. But you don't need these. In fact, there are positive disadvantages to using them:

1. They often produce messy code that is difficult to read when you examine the source.

2. The code they turn out frequently doesn't validate properly (you'll find out more about validation later).

3. Most importantly, they "hide" you from the HTML. You don't need to know anything about HTML to use these programs, and you'll never learn anything about HTML by using them.

Many folks feel quite comfortable with that. But understanding HTML will help you enormously in your quest to build perfect web pages -- and you do want to build perfect pages, don't you? It's a trick that some day, I hope to pull off myself...

So what do you need to get started? HTML files are just plain ASCII text, so a text editor is all that's required: something as simple as Windows Notepad will do, and it costs nothing (as long as you have Windows, of course! But most operating systems come with a free text editor.) But as you'll see, we'll get involved in typing a lot of repetitive "tags", and it's useful to have an authoring tool that makes this less tedious.

There are a number of simple, effective and cheap HTML editors around to ease the task. In the PC/Windows environment, Allaire Home Site is a well-respected example, though I haven't tried it. NoteTab Pro from Eric Fookes is excellent and costs almost nothing. But the editor I use all the time is Arachnophilia by Paul Lutus. It's truly superb, and costs exactly nothing -- as long as you think you can live up to Paul's "CareWare" principles, which seem fine to me.

Arachnophilia allows you to open multiple files and is stuffed full of features like customisable toolbars with buttons to insert tags, attributes, and anything else at a single click. You can change what buttons do, add or delete buttons, and even build your own toolbars. Added to that, you can create a whole shebang of keyboard macros. The editor also has site analysis tools, colouring of tags to make them stand out in your source code and to indicate syntax errors, search and replace across multiple files, and the ability to preview your page in the browser of your choice, just by clicking a button. It has a great feature set, and it's exceptionally professionally produced for a piece of software that is given away. You'll have guessed by now I like it.

For Mac users, I can tell you that BBEdit from Bare Bones Software is a very popular HTML editor, though I haven't used it. I have used Optima Systems PageSpinner, which is very effective and is cheaper than BBEdit.

To view this tutorial and to carry out the lessons properly you'll need a frame-enabled web browser that complies fully with HTML 4.0. I've given examples of suitable browsers and download links in Appendix A.

OK, now you're fixed up with a text editor and a suitable browser, we're ready to start coding our first page. Building web sites has some parallels with architecture. We are trying to create a sound structure, using proven rules and principles, that is pleasing to the eye and mind. Before you start building your first web pages, then, let me pass on a thought from one of the 20th Century's finest architects:

"The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his client to plant vines -- so they should go as far as possible from home to build their first buildings."

--  Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) writing in the New York Times, 4 October 1953